Enough Said

*Sigh....an update

First things first, Femara cycle #2 did not result in pregnancy but it did help me to ovulate, and hyperstimulate. I started feeling better halfway through my luteal phase which was my first indication that this would be another busted cycle. I was starting to actually come to terms with my mandated cycle break and was looking forward to a month off.

I felt myself starting to get down and usually can find some activities/hobbies to help me out of my funk. Day after day, I felt weepy and just generally like there was a black cloud hanging over my head. I decided to call my OB/GYN and have him run a Vitamin D level blood draw to see where my levels were at, knowing that a deficiency can play a part in depression. Ob had no issues running it and just as I suspected my levels were low. Low end of normal is 30 and my levels were a whopping 17. I was instructed to start taking 2000iu/day until my OB got back in town to give me proper dosage. So now add that to the mix of my body's malfunctions....(in order of diagnosis) Endometriosis, PCOS, Septate Uterus, and now Vitamin D Deficiency. I'm not asking what's next!

Which is apparently a good thing I didn't ask what's next because I got that answer anyways. My Ob had a chance to look over my charts I faxed in and indeed I am ovulating on the Femara, but he is not willing to prescribe it long term. The next step is to schedule a fertility appointment to discuss our options of pursuing further testing or IUI/IVF. Hubby and I have our views/opinions on Assisted Reproductive Technology and have decided that it is not an option for us. This now leaves us either looking into WHY we are not getting pregnant despite the meds making me ovulate or nothing. The appointment alone would be billed as fertility and as most know in this game, if it has ANYTHING to do with fertility, you are footing the whole bill, insurance won't cover a dime. In addition, the further tests would also be out of pocket expenses. My Ob has decided that he is not willing to prescribe anymore fertility meds without discussing our options and the options that we are now facing, are not even an option for us.

I did also receive a call from my primary dr who was sent the results from my Vit D and I was given a prescription for 50,000iu Vitamin D to be taken once a week for 6 weeks then resume OTC Vitamin D supplements. I am hoping that once we get my levels up where they should be that my body starts ovulating on its own, as at this point, that is going to be my only hope and chance for expanding our family.

As much as I was looking forward to this much needed break, the news of my dr assisted journey coming to an end has me heartbroken.

O me, O my, O WHAT?!?

Time for that update. I am currently on cycle day 21 with ovulation having taken place on cycle day 15. Now leading up to ovulation I had some mild discomfort that I just chalked up to having to do with ovulation. It was uncomfortable to sit, I would feel internal pressure when I sat and was just mildly uncomfortable. Days leading up to ovulation it got worse and the 'heavy' feeling got more prominent. 2 days after ovulation I was dying in pain, it hurt so much. At this point the heavy feeling became so much. It seriously felt like I was smuggling a 10 pound bowling ball in my uterus and ANY movement H.U.R.T!!!! I laid in bed all day, only to get up to work out, which about made me puke because of the intense pain I was in and all of the jostling around. After my workout, I went right back to bed where I stayed all day. This is completely out of the norm for me. The next day I called my dr and told them how I was feeling and asked if this was normal. I was concerned about the chances of it being Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, in which the meds work a little too well and overproduce follicle/eggs. With me having PCOS and having tons of immature follicles on my ovaries as it is, it generally doesn't take much stimulation to wake them up. And waking them up it exactly what it did! The nurse also agreed with me in that it did sound like Hyperstimulation and dr wanted me to come in for an ultrasound the next morning to confirm.

Ultrasound went well, as well as a vaginal ultrasound can go when one is in intense pain in that region!! The tech told me it appeared that I had a cyst rupture as there was a "large black hole" on my left ovary. Now knowing I had just ovulated I asked if that could be the corpus luteum cyst that is supposed to be there, since I just ovulated. Well yes sure that is a possibility. This was my first clue that maybe it wasn't a ruptured cyst after all. I got to see all of my insides, my abnormal uterus both horns and all, my polycystic ovaries, swollen and all. Yep looked to me the same as the last time I saw them.

Yesterday I finally got the results back from my ultrasound. Definite mild Ovarian HyperStimulation Syndrome. Crap man!!! So per doctor's orders, pelvic rest, nothing inside the pelvis, no strenuous exercise, and rest as much as I can. I will most likely continue to feel this pain until my period arrives. Or if I am lucky enough to get pregnant this cycle (now THAT would be my luck! Ha!) the OHSS will continue to cause me issues as it won't get a break to calm down, thanks to the pregnancy hormones. I am also to take next cycle off to let my ovaries chill with hopes of some of the follicles resuming normal size. Or what is normal for me anyways. If/when I get another period on my own (I doubt that one!!) then we can decide from there if resuming Femara is right for me. So here I am again, proving statistics wrong as Femara is supposed to have less chances of OHSS then Clomid. 9 cycles on Clomid and I didn't experience this not once. 2nd cycle on Femara and here we are! Oh fun!